Heat
by Emo Fox
Summary: Zim suffers through this cycle every year. Not a big deal. He just makes sure to lock himself in his lab, alone. So, what happens when Dib gets stuck down there with him? Mpreg ZADR
1. Chapter 1

"Heat"

'Chapter One'

By: Emo Fox

It happened once every year.

It wasn't really a big deal; Zim was used to it by now, ever since he went through the change from the equinox he had to take a week off school and just confine himself to his house.

Sure, it made him irritated and more hostile than normal, but it was just him in his lab for that week so there was no threat of him trying to leave and do something about his discomfort and irritation.

This dreaded event was called, 'Heat' and Zim suffered from it once every year for an entire week before those disgusting needs died down.

He knew the basics; ever since he felt the stirrings within his body, felt his skin grow hot and his mouth dry with this unusual yearning he had done some research on the subject. At first he thought he had contracted some Earth illness; but now he knew better, after all, he had suffered through four of these cycles thus far.

Zim didn't know if he truly had anything to worry about. He wasn't even sure these human things were even compatible with his superior alien body. They might not even impregnate him for all he knew – but then again, he wasn't going to try and find out and just the thought of mating with any of these creatures disgusted him to no end.

Zim wasn't a female by any standard; he was a male for all purposes. However, being the warring race Irkens were the 'female' of the species was bred out of the genetic gene pool for the most part. Being a female was a genetic anomaly and didn't happen very often. Female bodies were weaker, smaller, and less durable than the male of the species. They were a conquering race, they had to be tough and strong and resilient to most everything so it was only natural they would weed out the weakness of their race.

Instead they had modified their genes; created the 'super organ' all Irkens had and created it so males would have the ability to bear smeets just like females. So, once every year there would be a great heat that would fall over every Irken and every Irken would have the uncontrolled urge to mate. It almost sent them into a frenzy to find a partner and get pregnant to further their race.

There were no mated pairs; useless feelings of 'love' and 'companionship' were not welcomed to a race made to kill and conquer.

It was merely a mating to continue the species. One Irken from every mated duo would be out of commission for about six months. The smeet would be born premature on purpose so that it would need the assistance of the nursery. From there the smeet would incubate for the remaining three months before cracked open by the control arm and harnessed with a Pak and given the shock of life.

By doing things this way it cut off the maternal instinct and wouldn't require the assistant of a 'parent' to grow and learn. The Pak gave the newborn everything it needed to know in that moment and gave it an advantage even by being so young and small with the added instruments the Pak had.

So even if Zim was compatible with one of the stink-beasts of the Earth; he had no idea how a hybrid thing would live. Would it need a Pak? Would it just live on its own? Would it be weaker than a normal Irken?

Zim didn't need to answer any of these questions because such an event would never occur. The time every year didn't change so it was predictable and easy to avoid. By his calculations his heat cycle would start tomorrow. Tomorrow was Saturday so he didn't even have to worry about school. School was already finished for this day; so all he really needed to do was double-check the locking systems on the lab for when he needed to use them tomorrow.

Zim turned off his computers with a tired sigh, not looking forward to tomorrow at all but there was no getting around it. The lab hummed in an eerie pink glow, high-lighting the purples on the walls and floor. Wires hung down in tendrils like thick snakes and slithered down over metallic canisters that stretched to the ceiling. As the alien walked further into his lab he passed large metal jars filled with green and purple goo; tables built for hideous experiments and murderous instruments that didn't even have names.

The green-skinned creature didn't care to take in the sights; he only had one goal in mind. He may as well just remain down here, it would save him the trouble from going back down in the morning where he might not want to. He didn't have his normal state of mind when infected with the hideous _needs_.

"Disgusting." Zim hissed to himself, "Nasty. Filthy. Gross. _Icky_."

The mere thought of coupling with something; even his own species, it sickened him to his core.

But tomorrow that thought process would change.

Tomorrow it would be the only thing he'd want to do in the world.

Which is why he put up all the necessary precautions. He didn't trust himself tomorrow, didn't trust himself to actually follow procedure and get down here in time before he wanted to do nothing else but roam and find someone to mate with him.

Zim made it to the back of his lab, stopping his strutting stride as he opened a smooth metal panel. A series of buttons were in place behind the door; the shine of their metallic surfaces reflected in Zim's bright magenta eyes. Mechanically he flicked the switches and pressed the buttons; the entire lab groaning almost in protest as the security shields went up.

This allowed no one in or out for an entire week.

He couldn't override it with his voice, or manually. He couldn't destroy the structure because nothing in his lab was strong enough to do damage to the security walls. Gir couldn't get in no matter how hard he tried.

This had been tested before, he had went through four of the cycles and he worked out any kinks that might have been in the procedure before hand.

The silver lining draped over the walls of Zim's lab, shielding the elevator and everything else. It merely looked like a gossamer shroud; almost like a liquid that showed everything beyond it but it was a high-grade Irken security net and the alien knew it wouldn't fail him.

His metal spider limbs could do nothing to it; neither could teeth, nail, or ray gun.

Safe.

He was safe.

Zim let out an almost contented sigh, his arms casually behind his back as he grinned to his own ingenious designs.

The alien started to walk back towards the bulk of his lab, towards his computer when he heard the noise.

_Tink. Tink. Tink. _

Zim's antennae twitched in response and he glared into the darkness of his lab. Shades of purple, red, and pink were hued with dark shadow the shine of the security net winking at him and making it even harder to see. He stared hard at the darkness, his body tense and alert as he strained his mind for what that sound could possibly be.

There was no one else down here.

He made sure to leave Gir upstairs, made sure to tie him to the couch. He knew the robot would get free of his bonds, but it gave him enough time to get to his lab undisturbed and Gir would have forgotten about him once he had made it that far.

No, it wasn't Gir.

Then…

Well, it couldn't be mini-moose either. Mini-moose let out involuntary squeaks, and that aside, was normally drawn to Zim's head for some reason.

_Tink. Tink. Crash. _

"Damn it!"

The color drained from the alien, his mouth agape as he continued to stare at nothing, still unable to make out any shapes.

That.

That was…

Dib.

Dib's voice.

--

A/N:

This story is going to be fun to write. Mpreg, drama, etc etc… The works. I know this chapter is short but I'm already working to post chapter two. If you're interested please leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2

"Heat"

'Chapter Two'

Zim swallowed the lump in his throat, his hands grabbing at his antennae and yanking hard as he tried to wake himself up from this nightmare.

This wasn't happening.

It wasn't!

Zim made an unintelligible noise ending in a snarl.

Of all the times Dib had decided to infiltrate his security he had to pick now.

Of all the weeks!

There was no way to get through the security.

No way to shove the human out of the lab.

He was stuck in here with him.

Stuck for an entire week.

Zim folded his arm trying to will up his patience as he tapped his foot. This was a most unfortunate situation and there was no way to get out of it. He didn't have anything to even restrain himself either, that aside, he didn't really trust the human enough. He didn't really want to restrain himself to something or put himself in one of the tubes for fear Dib wouldn't let him out.

Ugh.

This was just awful all around.

He had no ideas to make it better.

"Dib!" Zim snapped into the darkness.

_Crash. _

"Shit!" Zim heard more movement, "Uh. I came here to—uh, damn it." More shuffling.

Zim arched a non-existent brow causing one eye to appear larger than the other and he continued to glare at the space in front of him. "What are you doing stupid human?" His tone was still harsh, a biting edge to it because he was going to have to explain everything to Dib and he really wasn't looking forward to that anymore than he was looking forward to being stuck down in his lab for the entire week.

"I'm stuck."

"Stuck?"

"Uh, yeah." _Crash._ "Can you…?"

"Help?" Zim responded flatly, letting out a sigh and trying to push his anger aside for the moment.

"Yeah. Help." Dib didn't sound too happy about asking.

In any other mood Zim would have held that above the human's head, he would have gloated and provoked more pleas out of him. But, right now he didn't feel like it and they really didn't have the time. It was probably only two hours to midnight. The feelings of need were gradual at first, but as the week drew on they'd get worse. Things would be bearable if only strained the first day or two before he did fear the worst was going to come from this situation.

"Fine, fine." Zim grumbled stalking into the darkness, his large eyes slowly adjusting as he neared a mess of metal objects. His antennae were perked on end as he picked out little noises and sounds to get him to where the human was.

Dib's soft honey-colored eyes regarded the Irken as he came into view, embarrassed with himself for failing at his attempt at stealth. "Over here." He murmured after a moment, still stuck against the metal object he had fell into when he tripped over the mess on Zim's floor.

Stupid messy alien.

It was all his fault he got stuck.

Zim eyed the human the moment almost contemplating shoving him into a goo-tube but then thought better of it. That wouldn't keep himself out, he knew that. They just had to endure and maybe the bit of idle conversation would keep him at a normal level. Zim frowned to himself, trying to make himself believe his own thoughts but he really didn't. "Stupid." He murmured half to himself, half to Dib.

"I'm not stupid." Dib snapped, "If your stupid lab was cleaned up I wouldn't have gotten stuck!"

Zim wasn't in the mood to bicker. Instead he set to the task of untangling Dib from the mess and somehow he got himself actually stuck to the wall. Once the crisis was averted the alien stepped back and regarded the human with hard red eyes.

Dib adjusted his coat, dusting himself off and kicking the scraps on the ground for good measure. Then he brought his eyes to the angry alien and he wasn't entirely sure why there was such rage on Zim's face. Normally he'd be upset, sure, sometimes they'd fight or something and he'd go home with a few bruises. But, Zim looked royally pissed and Dib hadn't really done anything yet. "What?" He finally asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Do you even know what you've done?!" Zim finally yelled.

Dib swallowed thickly, somehow not thinking this was the usual banter about taking over the world. "…no." He said meekly glancing here and there before he decided to try and push a normal conversation between them. Dib grinned trying to act like his usual self, "Did I spoil one of your alien plans?"

Zim kept his frown, clearly not amused, and clearly not taking the usual bait.

This was serious.

"Of all the times you had to sneak in here you useless worm!" Zim hissed, his antennae pulled back in a hostile fashion, his fists clenched.

Dib braced himself against the wall, "What's wrong with you? I always sneak in here!"

As sad as it was, it was a normal occurrence. Their roles as enemies seemed more like friends playing tricks than enemies out for blood. But the look in Zim's eyes now and the tone he used – well, Dib was re-thinking the friend thing.

"I hate you!" Zim grabbed up a square piece of metal from the floor and threw it at Dib's annoying big head.

Dib couldn't see very well in the dark and didn't have time to duck – the metal thing smashed into his head and bounced off leaving a nice gash in its wake. "Ow!" Dib yelped as he cupped his forehead with one hand glaring angrily at Zim, "What the hell is your problem?" He nearly whined, his pitch higher than normal because he hadn't been expecting the thing to hit him and it really fucking hurt.

Oddly, that didn't make Zim feel any better.

Stupid human.

Zim stalked away from him, too upset for words as he paced back into the lighted part of his lab, leaving Dib alone against the wall in the dark.

Dib mumbled a curse to himself, pulling his hand away from his head and noticing the blood as it shone dark in the meager light in his corner. Dib thought he needed to just go home. Whatever was wrong with Zim wasn't going to be fixed by him staying and he didn't feel like becoming the alien's punching bag.

Just as Dib pushed off the wall to follow the alien he finally noticed the shiny silver metallic that coated the high wall. "Huh." He momentarily forgot the throbbing in his head as he craned his neck to view the substance. Tentatively he touched the wall, his fingers tingling from the contact but it was smooth almost soft like silk.

Strange.

"Hey Zim." He called behind him, "What's this silver stuff?"

"A security device." He said almost tiredly.

Dib didn't question why Zim had told him so easily, normally he said it was an Irken secret or something and wouldn't give up the information.

…something was going on.

Dib's brows furrowed and he stepped over the pile on the floor towards the bulk of the lab where he saw Zim's silhouette. "What for?" He was going to make a poke about how it couldn't be all that great because he has snuck in, but he decided he'd save the name-calling until Zim was in a better mood.

"To keep me in."

In?

Dib didn't get it. "Wait, what?"

Zim glared at the computers in front of them, they weren't on but he almost looked like he was reading something – or maybe just remembering something. After a few tense moments he sank himself into the chair at the console looking no less comfortable than he did when he was standing. "It's exactly what I just said or has your hearing gone out?"

"I heard you." Dib grumbled, "Why is what I'm asking." _And you know it._ But he didn't finish his statement, instead tucked his hands in his pockets.

"You remember when I take a week off school."

"Yeah." Dib shrugged, "To do your usual plotting or whatever. Or, to contact your Tallest you said."

Zim knew Dib wouldn't forget the little details; the boy was obsessed with chasing him. However, him taking his lie at face value was a good thing, until now, when he had to explain it and tell him it was a lie.

There was no other way.

He kept scrambling for an idea, a stray thought, anything to help him figure out what he should do but he came up blank. There was no getting Dib out of here and he may as well tell the human exactly what to expect.

Zim's cheeks tinged purple slightly at the thought of himself in the coming days. How embarrassing this was going to be and he couldn't do anything to stop it. "Well, I lied."

"Lied?" That wasn't uncommon, but why would he lie about that? Plotting and Tallest seemed plausible, what else could it be?

Zim continued not to look at the human instead staring hard at his own reflection in the blank computer monitors. "You don't know too much about my species."

"I know some." Dib countered.

Zim ignored him, "You really shouldn't be here."

"That's what you keep saying." Dib rolled his eyes, reaching up to feel his head again, "What is this big secret of yours? You turn into a monster or something? Hey, do you have any bandages? My head keeps bleeding."

"Yes." Zim said flatly.

Dib kept that confused look on his face.

Yes to the bandages or yes to the monster thing?

Or…

Yes to both?

Dib was about to ask when the alien instead walked right past him into the lab where the operating tables were. Dib didn't like that part of the lab and stayed firmly where he was, by the elevator as if he could use that to escape.

Zim glanced over his shoulder, "C'mere." He said impatiently, waving his hand for the human to follow.

Dib glanced to the elevator; not aware yet that he couldn't even use it if he wanted to. With a reluctant sigh he started after the alien.

"Get up there." He gestured to the metal table as he started to rummage through the boxes under it.

"I—"

Zim glared over his shoulder, "If I wanted to dissect you I would have done it already." He said hotly, "Get on the table, or keep bleeding until your brain falls out, I don't care."

Dib weighed his options before he finally hoisted himself up on the table, his gangly legs over the side of it, his feet brushing the floor.

Zim found the box he was looking for and stood back to his usual height – which was about five inches shorter than Dib. His clawed hands picked out a swab of blue cloth and a small vial of green liquid.

Dib eyed him warily trying not to fidget. "It's not that bad actually." He said a bit nervously.

"Shut up." Zim snapped, opening the vial and dabbing some of the ooze on the small blue cloth. Zim didn't look at Dib as he stared at his wound, dabbing it with the cold fluid and ignoring the human's hiss of discomfort.

This was weird.

Why was Zim patching him up?

The fluid felt strange, sticky and cold but it didn't burn like he thought it would. He kept as still as he could, sneaking glances of the alien. He hadn't really seen him so close up before, not without them fighting or wrestling or something. His eyes roamed over his concentrated expression, to the high cheek bones, the smooth curve of his jaw and rounded face. His skin didn't have any blemishes, none that Dib could see; where Dib had a few scars on his face but they were small and not really too noticeable. Dib had an urge to touch Zim's face if only to feel the texture of it, to figure out if it felt as smooth as it looked.

…for science of course; just research, nothing more.

"Done." Zim said flatly tossing the used swap in the trash bin and closing the box, his single word breaking Dib's thought process.

Dib reached up to feel his wound but found that it was smooth and didn't hurt at all. "Wow."

"Yes," Zim murmured, "Irken healing technology is much better than that of inferior humans."

His insult lacked its usual triumphant tone so Dib decided not to respond.

It felt strange between them.

Forced.

Tension was so thick it was almost suffocating but Dib had no idea why.

"What did you mean before?" He started, "Do you really turn into a monster or something?"

Zim had replaced the box under the table, once again standing but this time opposite of Dib. He was leaning against the shiny wall, his red eyes staring off into the corners of the lab. He felt the human's eyes on him, "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Dib swallowed thickly trying to dismiss the heavy air with a nervous laugh, "C'mon Zim, you're freaking me out here."

Zim finally turned his eyes on Dib, "I'll tell you but it won't matter."

"What won't?"

"You can't get out."

Dib slid off the table, feeling on edge. "What? Was this a trap?" His usual paranoia finally reared its head.

"A trap?" Zim scoffed, and Dib pushed aside his paranoia as logic shone through. "I don't want you here!"

"Then—"

"I told you." Zim snapped, pushing away from the wall, "I designed this to keep _me_ in. I can't get out, so neither can you, not for a whole week."

"But," Dib couldn't hide his curiosity despite his want to test Zim's statement, his mind trying to figure out ways to get out – but he had no idea what that silver substance was, and if it could keep Zim inside it surely could keep him inside. "Why?"

Zim growled in the back of his throat feeling frustrated, "Irkens suffer through this cycle." His cheeks flushed but he forced himself to go on, trying to speak in a calm tone to dismiss any embarrassment he might be feeling. He really didn't want to be telling Dib these things, but the human had to know what was going to happen over the next few days, he had to understand why the alien would act like he would. "It's close to what animals on this planet experience called 'heat'."

Dib drank in the information like a sponge; his ears acute to paranormal facts, especially those on aliens – however, when Zim mentioned 'heat' his brain sort of came to a halt and he had trouble getting over it.

The green-skinned creature turned towards the bulk of his lab, trying to ignore the dumbfounded look on Dib's face. "…only worse."

"Worse?!" Dib found himself asking, his tone nearly cracking. "What? How worse?" He asked quickly; still trying to digest everything.

Heat.

Heat meant female, didn't it?

Only female animals experienced that.

Before Zim could answer Dib cut in again, "Wait—you're female?!"

"Gah!" Zim growled, smacking Dib hard across the face – the human not expecting it yelped in pain shooting a glare at the alien. "I'm not a female stupid Earth thing! Just shut up and pay attention!"

Dib frowned but decided to ignore the hurt in his cheek and remained quiet. His curiosity won over his want to snap back at Zim; his body leaning against the table in a placid manner in hopes the Irken would continue.

Zim continued to glare hard at the other male, his hands tucked behind his back almost in a grave pose. "I don't want to get into my anatomy with you, it doesn't matter. I'm telling you I will go through this change, so that's good enough." He waved his hand dismissing any further questions Dib might want to ask, "The point of this is for me to get pregnant."

Dib quirked a brow.

"I'm not female!" Zim nearly screamed and Dib masked his skeptical expression. "It's what every Irken goes through, every year, once a week. I've always locked myself down here for that week and I set up precautions so I wouldn't get out and try and…and…" Zim made a face, "Mate with the disgusting species of your planet."

But this time…

This time he wasn't stuck here alone.

Zim noted the look of understanding in Dib's eyes, "So now you know how horrible this situation is." Zim's face darkened, "I don't want to mate with you. I don't want to touch you." He hissed in a hostile tone, "Keep that in your big head got it?"

"Like I want to touch you either." Dib snapped back.

"Psh." Zim waved his hand again, his arrogance seen in his expression. "You should be so lucky as to touch Zim's perfect body."

"Yeah right." Dib rolled his eyes.

"Silence!" The Irken yelled before he continued, "Because of this horrid cycle I will want to mate with you. It's not a conscious decision; it's just what I'm going to want to do." He tried to keep his tone level, precise. "This is why I need you to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Me?" Dib scoffed, "How am I going to keep you away if you really want something?"

Zim was stronger than Dib and that aside, this was his lab, he knew all the ins and outs where Dib didn't.

"Hm." Zim contemplated a moment, "I'll disarm my Pak legs. That's the best I can do."

"The best you can do?"

Zim shrugged, "I'm not making myself defenseless to you. I don't trust you."

"I don't trust you either."

"Good." Zim looked to his computers, "I'll disarm my Pak. You're just going to have to keep alert. I don't sleep, and I don't need to eat."

Dib had a look of panic on his face, "I can't stay up for a whole week! I have to eat!"

"Learn how to eat and run then."

Dib ran a hand through his hair, "This is insane."

"You shouldn't have broken in here." Zim murmured as he walked away from the human, towards his computers, rummaging under the cabinets for his tools. It'd be easy to remove the legs from his Pak without damaging anything. It would give Dib and himself an even playing field. He knew he wouldn't be in the proper mind state to actually re-activate his legs and even further away from actually finding a weapon and using it.

Zim would only really have on thing on his mind once he became frenzied.

However, the frenzy wouldn't hit until about three days, maybe two depending.

They had some time, and in that time Dib would have to sleep as much as he wanted and eat and do whatever other human needs he needed to do so he would be able to avoid the alien.

Dib looked to Zim as the alien disconnected his Pak and started to work on it, zapping it with something that looked like a ball point pen.

God…

What did he get himself into?

--

A/N:

Another chapter down. Thanks so much for all the reviews so far. Someone asked how old they were. Zim is old; he's an alien, so he's older than Dib no matter. However, Dib is about 16/17-ish. That aside, please leave a review if you'd like to see what happens. Sorry for not much happening this chapter, it's mere plot development. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

"Heat"

'Chapter Three'

The hours passed by.

Zim had finished tinkering with his Pak a long while ago, but he still hadn't moved from his computer chair. Earlier he had shown Dib where the snacks were kept; Zim didn't need to eat, but that didn't mean he didn't like to – Irkens indulged in a few things they didn't have to just because they could.

Currently the human boy was on the opposite end of the lab, sitting on the metal surgical table again for lack of anything else to sit on. He had finished his bag of chips as well as some sort of alien candy which hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be. His bright eyes remained on the green-skinned creature that had yet to move from his tense position.

It was unnerving.

Zim was never this quiet or this still.

Dib didn't know what to expect, Zim gave him a brief over-view but it didn't tell him too much. But, it had to be something serious if he had disarmed himself on purpose. Dib sipped from his juice box, continuing to stare at his rival.

What was mating like anyway?

Well, with an alien, of course he knew what human mating was like.

Was it the same?

Dib kicked his feet in an almost care-free manner as he let his mind wander.

He began to wonder what Zim's skin would feel like, what he'd taste like, what he'd smell like.

He had wondered this all before.

For research purposes only of course.

Dib was trying to be a paranormal investigator and he needed to know everything about the paranormal things he planned on studying. He especially wanted to know more about the Irken – before he killed him and dissected him anyway.

The juice box became empty and he found himself sucking audibly in the silence, the slurping sound grating on Zim's nerves.

"Stop it." The Irken finally mumbled shooting a glare at Dib on the opposite side of the room.

Dib set down the empty little box, leaning back on the table – bracing himself on his hands. "Why are you so quiet?"

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"Things."

"What things?"

"Stop questioning Zim!" The alien snapped leaning back in his chair and folding his arms, his feet kicked up on the console of the computer.

Zim wasn't looking at him anymore, "This is boring." Dib said flatly.

"Then go to sleep."

"I'm not tired."

"You should sleep."

"So," Dib decided to push the conversation elsewhere, "If you aren't a female, why can you get pregnant?"

"I don't want to talk about this." Zim hissed, his muscles pulling tight under his skin. He was trying his best to keep his train of thought off the whole 'heat' issue. He was trying not to think about Dib on the opposite side of the room, trying hard not to think about mating or think about what the human might look like under his clothes.

Stop it!

He growled to himself, once again yanking on his antennae to get his own attention, wincing from the harsh contact he forced on himself.

"Why do you do that?" Dib asked tilting his head to the look of pain on Zim's face.

"Stop talking." He murmured, his eyes still shut.

"Why?"

"Stop!"

Dib huffed, "God Zim, you could at least talk to me about something. I'm stuck with you for a whole week anyway."

Zim's eyes finally opened, glaring at the human, "You don't even know how serious this is."

Dib shrugged, "You're brooding over there." Dib pointed at the alien, "That's about it. What should I be preparing for? What should I be scared about? You normally run at me trying to kill me, it probably won't be that different."

"I won't want to kill you this time." Zim murmured as if Dib had forgotten that detail.

"You seem normal to me." Dib said in the Irken's own defense, "Quiet though, which is weird enough, but basically normal."

Zim looked back at his computers, still stuck in his rigid posture.

"C'mon Zim." Dib tried to coax, "It's probably not even that bad." He was attempting to get more information out of the alien, trying a different tactic than usual because Zim was more bottled up than he normally was.

"It is bad." Zim countered, "You don't even know."

"Then tell me." The human said easily, trying not to grin, knowing the conversation was heading in the direction he wanted. Too bad he didn't have a notebook to write things down – he'd just have to rely on his memory, so once he got home he could write down the more intimate details of the alien's race.

Zim was quiet again.

"C'mon." Dib said in a complacent tone, slowly getting off the metal table, making sure he wasn't heard. Zim didn't perk an antennae or even twitch to look in his direction just yet – he seemed very concentrated on his own reflection.

Zim didn't want to get into the details. Didn't want to talk about it.

He didn't want to admit to the inner workings of the mating process. Didn't want to try and explain his future mentality. Didn't want to admit that because of Dib's height he would automatically want to submit; unconsciously, that he would be the one wanting to bear the smeet.

Not that he had another option -- Dib couldn't bear an offspring anyway.

He learned human anatomy in the high-school health class; males of the human race had no ability to bear young.

This wasn't the thought process Zim wanted right now.

He glared hard at his feet trying to dispel the thoughts in his head; trying to ignore the warmth as it started to pulse in his veins telling him what he needed to do.

He wasn't going to do it.

Zim was going to try his hardest to avoid mating with the stupid big-headed worm-baby.

Dib drew closer and closer without the alien even noticing. It was a little unnerving; Zim never let his guard fall this low. Dib wasn't really complaining, but the closer he got something wafted his way and he didn't know what to make of it.

Something smelled like…

Flowers?

Not really flowers.

It was too heavy, almost sour, but at the same time pleasant to his nose.

He didn't know where it came from but the closer he got to Zim the stronger the smell got. He stood just a foot or so from the Irken, his hands tucked casually in his pockets, not sensing any danger from his day-dreaming nemesis. "Hey Zim," The alien started, "What's that smell?"

"Argh!" Zim yelled, bracing himself in his chair, his claws digging into the arm rests of it, his magenta eyes narrowed at the human who was too close for comfort. "Go away!"

Dib remained where he was, grinning slightly, "You're so high-strung, it's funny."

Zim got off of his chair and talked to the human, once again grabbing the front of his coat as he had before, "Stop taunting me." He hissed, his whole body exerting a dominance that Dib didn't submit to.

The human, though a little put-off by Zim's rage didn't shrink away just yet. His hands were on Zim's shoulders but he wasn't so occupied on the alien's dark expression.

…the smell.

It was much stronger now.

It had to be coming from Zim.

Dib had never noticed the alien having an odor before, especially not one that smell fragrant, almost like outside. "You smelly funny." He said before really thinking; words tended to spill from his mouth without the proper screening of conscious thought.

Zim's antennae lowered, almost drooped as if he realized something. He hissed something in his native tongue before throwing the lanky teenager as far as he was able.

Dib's body fell just a foot or so from the alien, skidding across the metal floor. He groaned as he picked himself off the floor – used to being punched and kicked around the action didn't really phase him. Dib dusted off his coat and arranged his glasses better on his face before he stared at the back of the moody Irken. "Can't you tell me things? I'm stuck here, you said you're going into…eh…heat," Dib flushed, "I'd like to know everything to expect."

Zim didn't answer.

"You smell weird now too." Dib said, not entirely knowing it was Zim, but for lack of any better explanation he assumed it was the alien. "Can't you at least tell me what that is?"

Zim had to count his single blessing in this situation. The fragrance hadn't provoked Dib into getting any closer to him – not for the purposes of mating anyway. The human seemed unaffected by the scent, if only curious – but he was always curious. "Pheromones." Zim grumbled, still having his back to the human he lifted a gloved hand pointing a single digit to the base of his antennae. "Here there's a gland that secretes that smell to attract…mates."

Ah, that made sense.

Dib stored the newfound knowledge in his head for later use. He'd definitely have to write up a whole report on Irkens when he got home. This was simply too fascinating to pass up. "Weird." Dib found himself saying in astonishment rather than disgust.

Zim finally turned back to the human, his arms now folded and his expression holding irritation. "Go back to your side of the lab."

"I don't want to." Dib nearly whined, remaining where he was, wanting to get closer, wanting to touch the base of those stalks on Zim's head.

He normally was interested in the alien, wanting to know everything he could. But, for some reason he felt more drawn to him, wanting to touch, feel, explore the expanse of unknown territory.

His mind didn't even catch up to the almost lewd thoughts as they continued to run through his head – the brunette barely aware of it even happening as he found himself walking towards the green-skinned creature.

Zim didn't know what he saw in Dib's eyes but it enticed him.

This…

This couldn't be happening.

Attraction.

Attraction was going on between them.

So perhaps Zim had been wrong about the pheromones; apparently they were attracting the horrible Dib-beast.

Zim found himself backing up; his mind not yet delved into the frenzy for mating, still mainly himself and he didn't want the human to get any closer. He ended up tripping and falling back in his chair; his body tangled a moment as he tried to get back up.

"Zim." Dib found himself saying, leaning over the chair over the alien, one hand on the back of the chair, the other on the cushion near Zim's hip. "Hm," Dib had an almost predatory look in his eyes; one he often had when he gained an upper hand on his nemesis. "You do smell good though."

Zim's heart hammered in his ribs, his body felt so hot responding easily to the human that leaned over him. He felt himself nearly melting into the chair, his head tilting back and exposing the tender flesh of his throat. His antennae were limp, not as rigid and hard as usual. Zim's whole body felt like it was trying to unwind, relax, like he was actually giving up control to the human above him.

He was submitting.

Dib wasn't entirely aware what Zim's posture meant, but as he saw the column of neck exposed to him; not hidden by the high pink collar of Zim's shirt he found himself compelled to touch it. His hand reached up, fingers itching to touch the jade skin, wanting to know its texture. His digits brushed the skin – taking note of the feel, like silk only smoother. He cupped the alien's jaw, his head leaning in closer, his gold eyes half-lidded as he drew in.

Zim groaned to the feel of the soft warm fingers on his skin; tilting his head up to see Dib moving ever closer, feeling the contact of his thumb under his jaw as the human kept his face still.

As he looked up into Dib's heated eyes was when he finally figured out what was happening, what was going on.

Zim almost seemed to snap out of a trance, wailing an inhuman wail as he pushed Dib away with everything he had, climbing up the chair as if the floor was made of lava.

Dib didn't know what hit him when he found himself on the ground, his chest ached from where he was basically punched and he had lost his glasses in the fall. He made an unintelligible noise in the back of his throat feeling the cold floor for his glasses.

Zim remained on the back of his chair, claws digging into the fabric of it, his legs straddling it for support. He glared at the human still stumbling on the floor. "Don't touch me!" Zim yelled to him, his antennae pulled back in usual hostile fashion, his back arched like an angry cat. "Go back to your side!"

Dib finally found his lenses, setting them on his face and finally getting back to full height. His face was a red as a tomato when his mind finally caught up to the actions that went on between them.

…he had just tried…

Ugh.

Dib didn't look at Zim, he really didn't think he could right now. With his back still to the Irken he trudged over to the other side of the lab, once again picking himself up on the metal operating table.

That was embarrassing.

Beyond embarrassing.

Dib kept his back to the alien, listening to the sound of movement – Zim probably going back to sit in his chair.

Silence stretched on between them but it was welcomed.

What the hell came over him?

--

A/N:

Another chapter down! I'm on a roll~ Please leave a review if you want to see what happens next. Thanks for all the support so far!


	4. Chapter 4

"Heat"

'Chapter Four'

It had been an hour.

One terribly long silent hour.

Dib had finally stopped dwelling on what had happened – on what his body had wanted to do. He had pushed the shame and confusion on the fact that Zim was emitting alien pheromones. That was all it was, it was manipulating his mind and his body. e

He had nothing to come to terms with.

He definitely wasn't attracted to the annoying loud-mouthed alien.

Nope.

Not at all.

Dib tried to stop thinking because the more he tried to convince himself the more pathetic he felt. He couldn't really deny his avid curiosity; couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to feel the strange green skin, wanted to touch those antennae, wanted to—

Shit!

Stopping that train of thought.

Dib squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten in his head, trying his best to push things out of his mind. It wasn't a big deal; it was just curiosity, a need for understanding the unknown – for science! It meant nothing, he didn't have to admit anything to himself, there was nothing to admit.

Nothing at all.

Dib felt very uncomfortable on the operating table he was sitting on, his eyes still squeezed shut and finally relaxing when his thoughts had quieted for the time being. Cautiously he opened his eyes and looked over to his enemy, noticing the alien was sitting as quiet as ever as he busied himself with the computer.

Dib observed for a while before the 'clack' of keys started to grate on his nerves. He pushed himself off the table but didn't yet make a move towards the invader, "Zim?"

Zim visibly tensed as if he had forgotten Dib was still there. He glanced over to his rival before he looked back to the luminous screens, "What?"

"Uh," Dib started, "Do you have a bathroom? I haven't taken a shower in a few days." Too busy with his paranormal endeavors to care about hygiene – and that aside, he really was in need of a cold shower.

Not that he was attracted to anything or something like that.

He just needed to calm his nerves.

That's all.

Zim made a noise of irritation in the back of his throat, "Stupid human cleaning needs. Irken skin doesn't attract filth."

Dib tucked his hands in his pockets, biting his lip in anticipation as Zim mused hoping the alien would tell him where it was but he didn't. Then it dawned on Dib that perhaps the alien didn't have a restroom at all. Fear forced out his words in a startled yelp, "You don't have a bathroom?!"

"Of course I have a bathroom stupid human!" Zim snapped shooting him a quizzical look, "I don't have any of your planet's acid."

No water?

"Then—"

Zim huffed, pushing away from the console, getting to his feet and stalking over to the human looking none-too-happy about it. "Come." Zim grabbed Dib's arm, yanking the human into the depths of his lab.

As Zim tugged him through the shadows Dib was once against engulfed in a strange warm sensation. That strange sweet smell was all around him and no matter how long he tried to hold his breath or even if he put his coat collar over his nose, he still inhaled, and he still drank in that fragrance.

It was so addicting.

It caused a heat to start to form in his body and he found himself leaning towards the alien, a dreamy look on his face as all thought ceased and the want to be close sank into every pore of his body. Dib raised his free hand, digits brushing an antennae as he drew his lips close to it.

Zim stopped abruptly the moment he felt the foreign rough fingers on his sensitive antennae, a gasp emitting as his heart fluttered in his chest. He felt Dib's lips, then the wet sensation of his tongue and Zim let out a pained sound between a whimper and a moan; his cheeks flushed a dark violet.

Dib exerted control in the situation, easily pushing the stunned invader up against the nearest wall; his taller frame blocking any escape Zim might've had. Dib's fingers trailed down Zim's cheek, towards his neck as he took more of the captured stalk into his mouth.

Zim swallowed thickly, squirming against the wall, his claws digging into the front of Dib's coat. "Nn…" Zim's heated red eyes looked up to the needy expression of the other and he hated himself for how he was feeling.

Dib sucked one last time on the antennae before he trailed his lips down to Zim's forehead, over an eye, down his cheek – in a tender display of affection.

Zim tried his hardest to regain control, his antennae pulled back as if trying to hide from the dominating human but it didn't much matter. As Dib got to his neck he leaned his head back, panting with need as Dib bit down.

Dib had no fucking clue what he was doing; all he knew was that he wanted to touch, explore, take, claim—he wanted to do everything all at once. His hands ran along Zim's side, under the folds of his shirt, finally touching naked flesh and marveling at the silken feel of it. All around him was the scent of Zim; under him the heat from the alien's body.

Zim barely had proper thought as he groaned submissively at the human's hot touch; unable to latch onto concentration as he nipped along the curve of his jaw.

This shouldn't be happening!

It couldn't happen!

But…

But it was.

Zim's eyes squeezed shut, his hands weakly trying to push away the human, claws trying to dig into the fabric bunched at his shoulders but his body felt so weak and worthless.

He hated this time; hated it!

Zim growled in the back of his throat, trying to force up anger to cover this horrible yearning but it was difficult, "D-Dib!" Zim panted harshly, arching his back, trying to force the human to come to his senses, to understand what he was trying to do, what was attempting to happen.

Dib didn't get the hint, instead he merely yanked down Zim's collar and attacked the new flesh he found; sucking hard and creating dark bruises on the jade skin.

"Nhaa…" Zim squirmed, "S-Stop…D-Dib…Stop!" He tried again, this time being lifted, the human's hand under his ass and he was forced to straddle his waist in a vulgar display.

They didn't want this!

Dib flicked his amber eyes to the alien's heated expression; noting the plea in his eyes buried behind carnal need. It took more than a minute for Dib to finally figure out what the hell was happening, realization slapping him hard and causing the human to drop the alien and jump back with a startled yelp. "Gah! Zim! I-uh-you-I-I'm sorry!" Dib's face was bright red, his hands waving in the air uselessly, unsure what to do with himself.

Zim had landed unceremoniously on the ground, grunting with pain as he landed on the hard metal surface. He took a few minutes to gain his breath, the silence tense between them. Zim didn't look at Dib, feeling too many things, unable to hide the majority of emotion from his gaze.

Wordlessly he got to his feet, bracing himself against the wall as if ready for another attack before he turned from the human and walked towards the door they had originally been going to. Zim slammed his fist against the button with what was left of his frustration, causing the door to hiss open in a rush of movement.

Dib didn't approach when the room was opened, feeling too embarrassed to face Zim, to even walk past him. He didn't know what to do with himself, swallowing thickly as he peeked at the invader's back.

Stupid alien pheromones.

That was all it was.

"I'm sorr—"

Zim cut him off, "Use the bathtub. The nozzle there," He pointed to a hose, "Will release the cleaning fluid. It's not like your water but it works better. The shower is only equipped with a hose that'll pour paste so don't use it." Zim finally found the courage to turn around, his antennae high on his head, his chin lifted in usual arrogance and his arms folded over his chest defensively.

Dib felt shamed when he saw the bruising on Zim's neck.

"Don't bother me again with your needs." Zim said coldly, brushing by the human, making sure not to touch him as he passed.

Dib stood in the darkness for what seemed like forever, no longer being able to hear Zim's footsteps, instead hearing the faint sound of 'clacks' as he typed up on his computer.

Something was going so wrong between them.

Dib ran a hand through his hair, sighing to himself but unable to figure out what else to do with the situation. He finally walked into the luminous room, pressing the button to shut and lock the door behind him.

He began to undress, hating the silence because it let his thoughts rush back in. He folded his clothes in a daze, standing naked in the room; there were no mirrors, that was fine, he really didn't want to look at himself.

Dib moved over to the large tub lifting the hose from the floor and placing it at its edge. He twisted the knob and a high-pitched whistle sounded before a gentle bubbling followed.

Thick ooze started to pour from the nozzle, the sound and look of it causing nausea to sweep over the human. It was bright pink and looked like jello. Dib frowned as the tub continued to fill, not really wanting to bathe anymore.

Once the tub was filled he turned off the hose and dipped his hand in. The texture wasn't anything like it looked. It felt like water; when he passed his fingers through it the goo shaped around him like liquid but when he pulled his hand back out nothing clung to him; merely the fresh feeling and the scent of strawberries.

Hm.

Dib was intrigued by the substance, disgust no longer evident as he climbed into the bath, submerging his naked body in the alien goo. He wiggled himself around to a proper position, sitting in it allowed only his head to be seen; some of the chunky fluid lapping at his chin.

Dib enjoyed the cool feeling and the fruity scent. It wasn't hot, and it wasn't cold, it was a perfect temperature so he couldn't really complain. Dib smiled to himself, relaxing into the fluid, tilting his head back on the lip of the tub and letting the tension release from his body.

Nothing happened.

Nothing was going to happen.

There was nothing between him and Zim.

Once these days were over they'd go back to be enemies, to being normal, he just had to keep his will-power in check.

He had to fight the alien's alluring smell.

Dib wouldn't be fooled again.

"I'm not going to lose." He murmured to himself, closing his eyes, plotting all the ways to avoid Zim.

The lab was big enough, he could probably hide somewhere, give him enough time to get his bearings and maybe the alien wouldn't come looking for him.

Yeah, everything would go just fine from here on out.

--

A/N:

Woo. Another chapter, finally. xD This one is a bit short, and I apologize. But, I thought this was a good transition point. :3 Thank you for all the reviews so far and please leave me another if you want to find out what happens.


	5. Chapter 5

"Heat"

'Chapter Five'

It had been approximately two hours.

Two hours and Zim was no closer to pushing his wants and feelings aside.

He had given up on finding some sort of cure for the current situation; finding nothing available to relieve the desire within in his body. He was currently sitting in his computer chair, knees drawn to his chest, thin arms wrapped around them as he buried his face into them.

It was all the Dib-human's fault.

All his fault!

Zim growled to himself, his antennae pulled back in a position of irritation, his eyes closed as his head pounded with unsatisfied wants.

He didn't want Dib.

He merely wanted a mate.

His body wanted to get pregnant.

It had nothing to do with icky feelings.

There was nothing between them; Zim was merely reacting as he always did every year.

He had told himself this over and over again but it didn't make him feel any better. The reasons for craving the human didn't really matter; it didn't make his body want it any less and he was still stuck exactly where he was now.

It was an awful feeling…

This horrendous helplessness.

Zim slowly unwound himself from his chair, finding no comfort in his self-hug. He tilted his head up to the computers, all flashing different pages of text.

He had been researching remedies for his current plight but there wasn't any.

It was just a natural thing; and he had to deal with it.

With a snarl of distaste the Irken invader slammed his fists on the console, jolting the images on the screen until the computer shut off in a pop of noise. The screen was black; leaving Zim bathed in the soothing glow from above, the shades of purples and pinks high-lighting his skin and clothing.

Zim's body craved and it was taking all his energy to deny it.

His thoughts were delving deeper and deeper into the shadows of desire and he hated himself for thinking such things. There was no stopping what was to come, no forcing his body to stop reacting like it was.

Even if he tried to touch himself, tried to deal with his current frustration, it would only make it worse. He would merely want a mate more than he did now; he would be thrown into frenzy earlier than he needed to be.

Zim picked himself out of his chair, his body stiff, his muscles tight under his skin – feeling like a spring about to be sprung. Heat had coated the insides of his body, swirling in his stomach and he wanted so badly to get the touches Dib had given him earlier.

He wanted the human to grab his antennae, wanted him to bite him, scratch him, force him into submission.

Zim shivered, his jaw slacked as he panted. "Argh…" He hissed to himself, "This can't be happening! I don't want that foolish worm baby!" He yelled to the empty space around him; his angry voice taunting him as it bounced off the walls.

But it was happening, and there was no way to make it stop.

Zim braced himself on the metal operating table, not even aware he had wandered so far, his red eyes narrowed as he glared into the darkness, pin-pointing the bathroom door that was nestled between giant canisters of bubbling goo.

He wanted to feel the sting of saliva on his skin, wanted to feel Dib forcing him to mate, he wanted to give up all control when the human dominated him.

Zim's hands fisted, the claws on the table shredding the metal in a shriek of sound. Zim's back was arched like an angry cat, his antennae perked up, his mouth still slightly open as his alien tongue wetted his lips.

He needed Dib.

Needed him so damn badly.

He craved and he was sick of denying it.

Giving in was so much easier than suffering like he was.

Zim no longer could create a coherent thought; no longer able to grasp how wrong and horrible his thinking was. He wasn't able to think of much of anything except how Dib would feel inside of him. Zim found himself moving towards that room, the light bouncing off his figure as he continued down the corridor towards his waiting human.

--

Dib was oblivious to the danger looming; half-asleep in the comforting ooze. He was still looking up towards the ceiling, his eyes half-lidded -- he had discarded his glasses some time before. The liquid was comforting and it never changed temperature; it didn't cause his skin to get pruney and he thought he could just lay in the bath for the rest of his days.

His thoughts had been slow and sluggish as if they were wading through tar. Zim occupied his mind; curious questions floating up but he didn't have too many answers. His fingers twirled in the fluid around him, creating lazy circles in the ooze as he thought of how Zim had felt.

Zim's skin had been so soft; softer than any material he had felt before. His antennae were rubbery but smooth; they almost had the same texture as the gloves Zim always wore.

And those sounds…

Those needy gasping sounds he made.

Dib smiled dreamily up at the ceiling, thinking of the invader, his thoughts focused on creamy green skin and heated red eyes.

God, he loved when Zim had said his name in that panting voice.

Would it be so bad to just give in?

How would it feel?

Dib had never kissed anyone before, never had time to attract anyone really. This was all new to him and he wanted more than what he had experienced thus far. He wanted to feel more of that silky soft skin and wanted to see what Zim's tongue would feel like in his mouth.

He knew he couldn't give in; he knew he couldn't be weak.

He knew Zim didn't want to have sex with him.

Dib knew all these things, but it didn't stop his fantasy from playing in his head.

Dib shivered, sinking lower in the bath, his skin feeling hot, his hands slowly running up his own sides, over the curve of his hips.

He knew he should stop thinking; but he just couldn't.

What did Zim look like under his clothes?

Did he have a similar anatomy, or was it something different entirely?

His hands brushed over himself and he gasped the alien's name, eyes drifting closed, lulled by the gentle sway of the goo. He didn't know what time it was or how long he had been bathing but he felt like he could stay there forever.

Maybe he could just hide out there until the week was over.

As soon as that thought entered his mind a loud grating sound forced him out of his happy place. Startled, he jumped up from the goo, still waist-deep in it as his frantic eyes looked towards the door where the sound was coming.

The entire room was a blur; a haze of colors and uncertain shapes.

"Shit," Dib said to himself, feeling around the basin for his glasses, "Where did I put them?" He mused to himself as he splashed around rapidly, trying to feel along the edge of the tub down to the floor for his lenses.

_Bang! Scrriiittch. Bang!_

Dib jumped to the noises, his heart pounding hard in his chest and he had finally found his glasses only to topple from the tub and sprawl out on the cold floor. He hissed to the pain developing under his chin and elbow where he had landed hard.

Those pains didn't matter, he could now see!

He looked over to the door, actually noticing the dents in it and it made him swallow hard.

What the fuck was going on?!

Dib picked himself up off the floor, scrambling for his clothing, only able to yank on his boxers and pants when more jarring noises were heard.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

The metal was giving under the force of those hits. "Zim?!" He called, his voice cracking as he looked to the door, too afraid to take his eyes off it long enough to pull on his shirt; remaining half-dressed and standing tensely in the center of the space.

The noises stopped for a moment; Dib could hear shuffling outside the door.

"Zim?" He tried again, his voice softer.

The words he got back were in a low tone Zim rarely used and they weren't English.

Dib's brows furrowed, unable to make sense of the harsh pops and clicks of Zim's native language; feeling uneasy as the Irken ended his apparent sentence in a purring noise Dib had never heard before. "I, eh," Dib glanced around the room a moment, trying to see an escape route or perhaps a weapon, "I don't speak Irken, remember?"

Silence.

Dib looked up to the ceiling and saw nothing. Not a vent anywhere in the entire room. It merely had a shower and a tub and that was it. The room was plain and held nothing worthwhile or usable.

"Dib-human," The voice was unnaturally calm, "Open the door."

Dib scoffed, he wasn't that stupid. Something was going on, something was terribly wrong. Dib felt fear course through his veins, finally tugging on his shirt and coat as if that might add some protection if he got in all out fight with the alien when he busted through the door. "No." Came Dib's decisive reply, exhaling and trying to prepare himself for the inevitable.

There was no getting out of the room.

He had to get out through the door; and Zim was at the door.

Dib tried to form thoughts in his mind; whenever the alien opened the door, how he'd attack, how he'd run, where he'd go. He tried to map out the Irken's lab in his head, trying to find a plan for a safe hide out.

It was silent for an entire minute before Dib heard the scratching and banging again.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

Dib's panic over-shot his attempt at being level-headed and thinking things through. Trying to blind himself from the world he put his hands over his eyes and forced himself to just think. "Think, think, think, think." He nearly whimpered to himself, nervous jitters causing his body to start shaking.

God!

If he hadn't been so stupid and sitting in the bath tub forever he could have been out and safe by now!

Dib's little pity party didn't last long when a loud jarring noise forced him to jump back, frantic gold eyes taking in the sight of the broken electronic door. Dib braced himself on the wall, staring at the alien whom stood in the doorway.

Zim grinned over to the human, his hands tucked behind his back in a gesture of innocence. Casually he stepped over the door, his red eyes staring at Dib as if he were the only thing in the world. "Mm," Zim made that strange purring sound again as he approached, his antennae absently twitching up and down; consciously releasing the alluring pheromones into the air around them.

Dib tried to keep his wits but the closer Zim got the more that fragrance clouded his mind and set his body ablaze. His mouth was dry and he was finding it hard to swallow when the Irken took a stance a mere six inches or so from him.

"Why wouldn't you let me in?" Zim asked, though his tone wasn't demanding, it was low and nearly seductive.

Dib was more uncomfortable than he had ever been; his hands flat against the metal of the wall, trying his best to melt into the flat surface to try and get away from the alien and his delicious smell. "I-I, uh," Dib faltered, "What's wrong with you?!" He asked in a flurry of words, trying to get a handle on the situation.

Zim's expression didn't change, if anything his eyes danced with amusement, "Nothing."

"Don't play games Zim!" He tried to fall into his usual persona, but damn it, it was so hard not to focus on that pallid green skin and those bright sensual red eyes.

"Games?" Zim took his hands from behind his back, his gloved claws dancing over the front of Dib's coat, reaching up to snake his arms around his neck whether the human liked it or not, "What games is Zim playing?"

This was a trick!

A trap!

Dib forced himself to remember earlier, to remember the conflicted expression on Zim's face, remember those pleas that were in his eyes when he almost rap—

Dib found strength to push the alien away with everything he had, panting from the effort it took to resist as the alien fell backwards, the back of his legs hitting the side of the tub. "Stop it!" Dib shouted, taking a place in the middle of the room, near the door for an easy escape.

The violent act didn't seem to sway Zim's current personality. He was seated on the edge of the tub where he had fallen, his scarlet eyes trained on the flushed human. "I don't want to stop anything." Zim hissed, his tone low – the one he used when he spoke in his natural language.

Dib faltered, wanting to run out of the room, but also wanting to stay. That tone sent a wave of warmth right to his groin and it took everything he had to repress a shudder. The whole room smelled like Zim and the fragrance of the bath goo. His body felt so warm and he wanted the sensations he had earlier when he had pinned the alien to the wall.

No, no, no!

That was just his weak side talking!

He had to remember the big picture. He had to remember Zim didn't want him; Zim didn't want _this_, and he wasn't going to let it happen! It was all up to him to stop this madness.

"Zim—" Dib was cut off when the alien lunged at him, the human making a startled sound as he fell into the wall near the gaping space where the door had been.

Zim had swiped at his face and missed, instead aiming a punch to his middle.

Dib had dodged, just barely, slinking out the doorway and running into the darkness of the lab.

He knew Zim was right behind him; even though the alien was shorter he could run faster, and he was stronger. If Dib didn't think of somewhere to hide—

Gah!

Dib toppled to the ground when Zim tackled him; slamming him into the unfeeling ground. Zim straddled his back, his hands gripping both of Dib's wrists and forcing him down.

Dib struggled best he could, looking over his shoulder at the smug Irken that towered over him.

"Do not resist Zim." Zim murmured, leaning towards the human's ear, his snake-like tongue darting out to trace the shell of it; satisfied when he heard Dib moan.

"Zim—" Dib swallowed, panting as the alien dragged his teeth down the back of his neck, "Zim, don't, we…you!" His words made little sense, unable to form a sentence with the feeling of the aroused alien pressed into his spine.

Zim murmured something out in his native language again; whether he forgot to speak English or not Dib wasn't sure.

Dib had never seen Zim like he was and he was frightened as well as horribly intrigued. He struggled under the Irken when he felt him grind along his back; forcing Dib to acknowledge his current state of need.

This was so wrong!

Dib moaned as Zim bit down at the base of his neck, sucking the skin there and forcing hard pants from the human. Dib struggles got weaker and weaker until he wasn't squirming at all; enveloped in the warmth of the alien and inhaling that mind-numbing fragrance.

Satisfied, Zim released the human's wrists, dragging his gloved claws along his arms, across his shoulders, scratching gently at his exposed neck. Zim remained close to the human; his body nearly flush against him; his lips nipping at the lobe of Dib's ear. His antennae continued their gentle bobbing; releasing more and more chemicals in the air, wanting Dib to react.

Dib was aware he had use of his arms again; was painfully aware of the lips on his ear, and was even more conscious of the fact that Zim was suffocating him with the desire to have sex.

This was all a trap!

Trap!

Dib's mouth was dry, lips forming words but no sound came out. He was trying harder than he had ever tried to ignore Zim; to focus on proper thought, to try and make himself understand that he had to change the situation before it got any worse.

Zim wiggled himself down Dib's body, nails sinking under the collar of his coat in an attempt to yank it off.

Dib's eyes clenched shut and his hands fisted, trying to tense his whole body as Zim continued to try and tug off his coat.

He couldn't do this!

This couldn't happen!

With an inhuman yell Dib rolled over with all the strength he had, toppling the smaller creature and leaping to his feet all in the same second; he had shrugged out of his coat and dashed into an all out sprint before the alien even knew what happened.

Dib's body was overly hot and he was taking gasping breaths not from the effort to run, but the tension that laced in his body. He was painfully aware of his arousal as it pulsed against the tightness of his pants but he tried his best to ignore it.

He wished he was a lesser man and could just give in.

But he had morals; and if anything he owed it to Zim to keep level since it was obvious the alien was already gone.

It was all up to him now.

When Zim had said he wasn't going to be himself, he hadn't been lying and Dib regretted more than ever sneaking into the lab.

Dib took refuge behind some tubes; regaining his breath and straining his ears for sounds of the invader. He peeked carefully over the edge of the discarded items; hiding in the shadows and hoping that he wouldn't be seen.

Dib heard shouts from the Irken bouncing off the walls; once again in that foreign speech and Dib didn't get it.

Did Zim really lose his mind or something during this whole event?

He knew Zim could adjust apparently to speaking English; since he did in the bathroom, but then when he got pinned he went back to talking in that gibberish again and Dib didn't understand it.

What did it mean?

Shit!

Dib caught a glance of Zim as he rounded the corner; still far off, but too close for comfort as far as Dib was concerned. He inched his way along the wall, his gangly frame tucked behind the mess of the lab as best as he could. He felt along the walls in the dark, trying to find some sort of compartment or anything he could hide out in.

Zim didn't sleep; which would make things all the more difficult.

He should have listened when the alien told him to get some rest; he was certainly regretting that now.

Dib found nothing useful; no compartment, no anything as he continued his crawl. Dib's heart started to race again when he heard the jarring sound of metal hitting metal.

Zim was throwing things.

Dib didn't put it past Zim to destroy his entire lab in an attempt to find him.

He was so screwed!

Dib bit the inside of his lip to try and keep his mind focused. It might be a hopeless situation but he had to try; so he could at least say he tried when all the shit hit the fan.

Damn! That crash sounded really close!

Dib ceased his movement, peering over his shoulder but seeing nothing in the inky blackness that surrounded him. He was far enough from the main lights and the glowing canisters of ooze to be shrouded in complete blackness. He was hoping it would work to his advantage but then again he didn't know if Zim could see in the dark.

Could he?

Dib tried to think of any times where the alien might've had some advantage like that but he could think of none. Then again, he didn't really have pupils and his eyes were really, really big. Maybe that meant he could? Musings immediately ceased as a pipe hit the wall over his head; making a high-pitched noise and Dib didn't even have time to think or scramble when the huge thing crashed down on him; hitting him in the head and causing the stunned human to black out.

--

A/N:

Whee~ Chapter finished. Dib won't be suffering any broken things or anything like that; he just got hit in the head, poor guy. His glasses might be damaged though. ;3 Thank you for all the kind reviews so far! I'm happy everyone is enjoying the story thus far and feel free to leave another review if you want to see what happens next.


	6. Chapter 6

"Heat"

'Chapter Six'

Nngn.

Was the first strangled thought that passed through Dib's head; his whole body felt stiff and heavy and it took him a moment to really figure out what happened and why he was laying on something cold and metallic.

"God…" Dib groaned, slowly blinking his eyes open only to find the vision in his right eye completely blurry though the left was pristine. "What?" He murmured to himself in the same heavy speech, lifting his hand as he tried to figure the problem only to find the right lens missing entirely.

Well, at least his eye wasn't gouged out or something else horrible like that.

He pushed himself off the ground, the pipes around him shifting across the floor from his movements as he tried to push the debris out of the way. He got to a sitting position and his head was pounding like all hell. He groggily looked around the deserted space, hearing the eerie silence all around him which unnerved him more than anything.

Where was Zim?

Surely he should have been found by now.

What time was it?

Dib felt so disorientated and it was hard to grasp tangible thought.

Dib shifted, leaning up against the wall so at least the alien couldn't sneak up from behind. His one-eyed vision wasn't helping his headache either and he just couldn't will his body to wake up fast enough. He knew he had to start moving, had to try and find a hiding place if he was indeed lucky enough to have been left alone in his unconscious state.

"Alright." He murmured to himself, "Time to get up." Dib braced himself on the wall, slowly sliding himself up the smooth metal surface and grunting from the effort it took.

It was so quiet…

Something had to be wrong.

Dib wanted to call out to the alien but he refrained. There was really no reason for his concern. They were safely tucked in Zim's lab, what danger could have become of the Irken?

Dib forced himself to start walking, feeling along the walls in the darkness as he continued forward having no real direction but knowing he had to get somewhere.

Dib's whole body tensed when he heard the hissing sound. It didn't come from the humming of the pipes over his head, or the natural sound of the lab as it groaned in its effort to stay lit and stable. Dib turned around, staring at the abyss behind him but finding no purchase for his eyes.

Icy fear flowed in his limbs as he swallowed hard, trying to mumble comforting words to himself as he turned from the darkness behind him to stare at the darkness in front of him. He felt eyes on him; paranoia giving him a sort of sixth sense to that sort of thing. Dib quickened his pace, heart beating in time to the pulse of discomfort in his head as he shuffled along.

Dib could smell that sweet fragrance; it came on in a wave and instantly weakened his muscles. His sleepy mind indulged in the scent, his mouth instantly going dry as his body started to crave.

"No, no." He chided himself, his hands fisting, nails biting his palms in an attempt to keep himself level-headed. "Just…keep going. Trap. It's a trap." He forced his feet to move, but the scent had swelled, all around him, no matter how shallow he breathed he could smell it. It was infesting his lungs – stinging his brain, the toxic smell causing a feeling that had to be akin to a drug.

Dib steadied himself against the wall, closing his eyes and trying to will the chill of the metal to quell the burn of his flesh.

This wasn't fair!

Dib's body was already turned on; painfully so and he cursed his weak human self.

He had to resist!

This was for Zim!

For Earth!

…or, eh, something like that.

Whatever.

Dib forced himself to keep thinking, forcing useless thoughts to pile in his consciousness so he wouldn't concentrate on that alluring smell.

He wouldn't be drawn in!

A whimper of want buried itself in his throat as he forced his body along, stumbling into the shadows and hoping he could just find somewhere to hide – somewhere where this scent couldn't follow him.

Red!

Dib started when he saw a flash of red. It had been bright, luminous, two bulbous lights in the dark before they were gone and he heard soft steps on the slick floor of the lab. He tried to follow the dancing lights but he couldn't, they were gone just as quickly as he had seen them.

Zim.

It had to have been.

What was going on?

Had he been discovered when he was sleeping?

Dib would have thought so, but then why didn't the invader take him prisoner or something?

Was this…

Was this some kind of ritual?!

Dib could only chalk up this strange circumstance to some type of mating thing. Perhaps Zim didn't actually lose his mind per se, but just fell into a more primitive way of thinking – a more instinctual type of thinking.

All things considered, the topic would have been fascinating, and he would have indulged his curious side had he not been so fearful of the end result.

Damn it!

What was he going to do?!

His mind was working quickly to try and come up with thoughts and theories as it normally did as he stared off into the darkness. He had an idea that Zim's display might be enticing to another Irken. Maybe he was trying to be challenging on purpose to attract him; try and provoke some dominant feelings in him.

But, it was doing the opposite.

Dib felt nothing but fear in the cramped space; his hands were shaking, and anxiety had him in its icy grip. If Zim so chose the alien could really just snap him like a twig; his bones were much more brittle than the alien's and Zim could break down metal doors!

This was insane!

Dib didn't understand how to act, what to do, unsure what Zim expected of him. He didn't know the ritual, he just had some theories on it, but even his minor thoughts were hard to keep a grip on in his current state of distress.

Dib saw a flash of red again, saw a brief hint of green when Zim passed under the lighted portion of the lab and then he was gone again – melted right into the shadows all around him. Dib didn't know where to look; his only intact lens giving him a sort of tunnel view to the world around him and it was difficult to make much sense of the space around him. He didn't venture in Zim's lab enough to really know where the secret compartments were, or what surprises he should be expecting.

He was very much in Zim's playground.

"Zim!" He yelled into the space around him, sick of this strange game, wanting to shout sense back into the alien; hoping yelling would be enough to get the Irken to back off. "What are you doing?! Leave me alone!" Dib hadn't realized he had been panting; his forehead dotted with sweat, his body overly hot from inhaling the rich fragrance for so long.

What came back was a mix of clicks and pops; that harsh strange language he knew nothing of, unable to discern friendly words from hostile ones. They all sounded hostile in his opinion and his heart skipped a beat when the Irken once again purred; sending a spark of need through his whole body.

Dib's curious mind was working in over-load, unconsciously storing all this alien information away, coming up with theories on the spot as his mind started to work twice as fast with all the new revelations.

Dib didn't think Zim forgot English; after all, his Pak was instilled with everything from the day he was born. He had a translator and that all should have been easy to switch into English. Dib chalked up to the whole primitive theory – to the fact that this was how Zim knew it worked, how he knew he had to talk, had to act, to get what he needed.

Irkens as advanced as they were, obviously reverted back to the primal roots to mate; something technology just couldn't erase.

Then again…

This was merely Dib's theory—

Shit!

Dib jumped at the sound of metal hitting metal; caught off-guard by the violent act as the Irken finally rounded the corner into Dib's little passage. He was a good eight feet away, but it was close enough that Dib felt light-headed and woozy from the feelings running through him.

Zim's clawed hand rested on the wall, the other fisted at his side, his red eyes narrowed as he stared hard at Dib. His mouth was twisted into a disarming grin, his nails making an irritating noise as he dragged them down the wall as he continued forward, closing the space between them.

Dib started to walk backwards; unable to take his eyes off Zim, knowing if he did the alien would probably charge him and it'd be all over. "Zim." He said, cursing himself that his tone broke, "Stop it! Don't you understand what you're trying to do?!" He said, borderline frantic, that evil scent washing over his body in waves as Zim narrowed the distance.

Zim lifted his chin in his usual arrogance; his antennae perked forward, that nearly seductive look not falling from his face. His claws left the wall, all attention on the human shrinking away from him.

Dib's hopes fell when his back hit the wall.

Dead end.

Dib braced himself against the metal, his head tilted to compensate his single lens as he looked towards the green-skinned creature that continued towards him.

This couldn't be happening!

Dib made a noise of distaste, unable to figure out an escape route. The passage he had lodged himself in was narrow and there would be no getting past Zim. He was ultimately trapped; this was it, he lost.

Zim was merely a few inches from the human now, his red eyes trained on his defeated expression, taking in the sight of the flush on his cheeks. "Dib." He murmured the human's name in a low hissing tone.

Dib swallowed thickly, nails unable to dig into the wall as that scent made him feel drunk and hot. Sweat had broken out on his skin, arousal painfully obvious as Zim fueled it with that tone he used.

Damn it!

He was such a failure!

"Z-Zim." Dib didn't know what he had wanted to say, he just wanted to break the silence, trying to will his thoughts away and hoping the Irken would snap out of the trance he was in.

Zim continued to release the drugging chemicals, amusement dancing in his eyes from the needy expression on the human's face. It was obvious Dib wanted to mate with him, and it caused the tension to finally melt from his body. Zim leaned up, brushing his head against Dib's chin, nearly nuzzling along his jaw to his neck, his lips parted as he spoke in his native tongue; the clicking mixed with gentle purrs.

"Ah," Dib panted as the antennae brushed against his lips, the Irken's soft skin rubbing against his sensitive neck. "I—Ah—Zim—" His hands found home on the alien's bony shoulders, having a thought to push him away, but his fingers instead dug into the fabric along his neckline.

Zim lifted his head just enough, his lips running along the curve of Dib's neck, sharp teeth nipping along his jaw – his ridged tongue running over the hurts he caused.

Dib groaned, falling victim to the Irken's advances, his nails digging into the collar of Zim's shirt, his heated gold eyes half-lidded as he gazed down at the smug alien.

Zim ran his hands up Dib's sides, along the curve of his shoulders as he subtly took off his trench coat.

Dib complied with the movements despite himself, his mind unable to form proper thought as the fabric fell in a heap at his feet.

Pleased, the Irken sucked on a patch of skin at the base of Dib's neck; enticing a groan from the human as his gloved hands worked to yank off the humans' shirt.

Dib let his shirt fall, his hands then grabbing at Zim's wrists, stopping the alien's advances. Zim's red eyes flicked up to Dib's expression, taking in the hungry look, his antennae falling limp just slightly.

Dib leaned forward, his lips brushing an antennae before he took it into his mouth, causing the alien to tense and let forth a whimpering gasp. Dib nibbled the rubbery tip, shifting their positions before he slammed the smaller creature against the metal wall.

Zim hissed, his red eyes slipping closed, his expression pinched as he weakly tried to tug his arms out of Dib's grip.

The human finally pushed all thought from his mind; drugged on Zim's unique scent, enticed by his panting groans, Dib didn't need to think anymore. He gripped the thin wrists with one hand, forcing them above the alien's head, his other running under the fabric of his top to drag nails across bare flesh.

Zim squirmed against the wall, mewling in his native tongue, his boots brushing against Dib's as he weakly tried to move away.

Whether Zim was giving Dib the illusion of control; or if he was actually in control of the situation he didn't know, but it didn't really matter.

Dib licked down the stalk, nipping at the base and inhaling the heady aroma and he moaned in need. Dib's free hand trailed down across Zim's abdomen, yanking at the front of his pants, tugging them down and leaving the Irken exposed.

Zim opened his eyes, trying to turn his face to meet Dib's expression but he couldn't; the human still nipping at his antennae and causing all his muscles to spasm; heat rushing through him like molten waves.

Dib yanked off Zim's gloves; not thinking the Irken would struggle against him as he moved to tug off his shirt as the alien complied with kicking out of his pants and boots. Dib quickly removed the rest of his clothing in a rush, not wanting to give Zim time to recover – not wanting the alien to stop what was going to happen.

In an instant Dib was on the green-skinned creature, pressing him harshly against the wall, yanking up his legs and forcing him to straddle him as he had done before. Zim made a noise of distaste, baring his teeth at him and emitting that strange clicking noise as his claws dug into Dib's shoulders.

Dib didn't know if he was doing something wrong; but he didn't give a damn.

Dib leaned in, nudging under Zim's neck and forcing his head back as he bit hard on the Irken's neck; causing him to cry out in a strangled sound. "Zim," He growled against his throat, feeling the need to possess – to claim, to force the Irken to submit whether he liked it or not. "You have no control." Dib murmured, suckling on the green skin and smirking to himself when Zim whimpered; his sharp talons running through his hair before tugging on the crooked scythe-shaped lock.

One arm was looped around Zim's bony shoulders and giving him a buffer from the wall, the other was settled at the base of his back, causing him to arch and giving him little room if he had wanted to struggle away.

Zim's legs were looped around Dib; his lips parted as his breaths came in needy pants. A growling purr buried itself in the base of his throat, enjoying the burn of Dib's saliva on his skin as well as how it felt to be caught between the human's warm body and the icy chill of the wall.

Dib pressed himself against Zim's opening; feeling himself nestle in as he moaned gently in between bites on the Irken's neck. Zim wiggled his hips as if trying to push him in and he roughly applied pressure to Zim's back, forcing him to take him in, in one quick movement.

Zim cried out, hissing in displeasure as Dib shoved himself in, in that quick fluid thrust, his claws yanking hard on his hair but the human didn't care about the pain.

He found more pleasure in controlling the normally controlling alien; loving it when he cried out, loving it even more when he whimpered. Dib licked a trail up Zim's neck, the alien unable to make intelligent sounds as pain and pleasure forced his body to spasm. Dib lifted his head, eye to eye with the seemingly hostile creature below him.

Dib slowly pulled out, watching Zim all the while as his pinched expression melted into something softer. Dib started a slow movement, shoving deep then moving right back out again. His heart skipped when Zim purred his name, his muscles relaxing – obviously enjoying what Dib was doing to him.

Dib finally closed the distance between them; their lips meeting in his first real kiss.

Zim was unaccustomed to what the human was trying to do; but his mind was too far gone in the sensation coursing through his body as Dib continued to move in and out of him that he just submitted to the strange human custom.

Dib took the kiss slow at first, moaning as his body felt over-loaded from all the different feelings running through it. He ran his tongue along Zim's lips; the Irken complied by opening his mouth and Dib pushed in to taste the alien for the first time.

Zim groaned from the odd sensation; the burn of saliva oddly pleasant, the flat tongue something new and so unlike his own as his ridged one reached out to wrap around Dib's in a sensual dance.

Dib's fingers dug into the base of Zim's back, moaning into the kiss as his pace started to increased, shoving the alien hard against the wall as his hips jerked in harsh thrusts.

Zim groaned, unable to get enough of the human's taste, his fingers knotted in his hair as if just trying to hold on to reality itself as a tense coil buried itself in his stomach.

The human broke the kiss, gasping for breath and unable to hold himself back as his orgasm sprang upon him. Dib whimpered Zim's name over and over like a mantra, kissing his neck, shoulder, jaw, anything he could come in contact with as he thrust hard into the alien.

Zim leaned back, his spine arched as his eyes closed, his head angled to the ceiling as he concentrated on that delicious friction that threatened to rip him from the inside out.

More, more, more!

Dib couldn't get enough; he was so fucking close—

"Ahn…" Zim tried to squirm but he was caught between the human and the wall and all he managed was to cause his toes to curl and un-curl, "D…nnn…Dib…" Zim panted in his native language, kicking his feet as Dib plowed him into the wall.

"Nn…" Dib couldn't take anymore, he just couldn't! "Gaahh…" Dib closed his eyes, his muscles tight under his skin as he shoved in one last time before he gave Zim everything he was worth; calling the alien's name to the space around them; his passionate yell bouncing off the walls.

Zim felt the hot seed coat his insides and it was all his body could handle. He purred a deep vibrating sound as his body quivered, spraying his alien essence over Dib's middle.

Dib came down from his high and found he couldn't feel his legs. He slowly opened his eyes; his whole body felt weightless and he had a drunken grin on his face. He drew them down the wall until they were sitting on the floor, pulling out of the alien with a grunt of effort before he pulled the tiny creature to him and hugged him close; nuzzling into his head and inhaling the scent that spawned from the base of his antennae.

"Mmnn…" Dib murmured in happiness, feeling so complete and comfortable for the first time in ages.

Zim felt weak, scooped up in the human's arms, pillowed to his chest and feeling even smaller than usual against the larger male. Frenzy had melted from his mind; task complete he started to feel normal again.

Zim's antennae twitched groggily, his body loose in Dib's arms, not making a move to touch the human but not making a move to get away from him either. His red eyes took in the content expression; such a look he had never seen on the human's face before. He studied him a long moment, inhaling the air around him and smelling Dib's sweat and musk.

Zim didn't know why he was scrutinizing the human so closely, why he was still tucked against his chest. Protocol would call for him to part ways, never speak of the event again and just wait for the months that followed and when he'd bear the smeet.

But…

Something.

Something about how Dib looked; so happy, so vulnerable, so very un-Dib-like.

It caused a strange stirring in Zim's chest, but he didn't know what it was.

There were no such things as 'mates' in Irken society. This mating ritual changed nothing between the two parties. Having a 'mate' would only get in the way of the alien's business and it would compromise him emotionally.

Zim heard the shallow even breaths; knowing Dib had fallen asleep. He stared long and hard at Dib's face as if trying to figure out some complex equation.

He knew what he should do, what he had to do, what normally happened after this event.

But…

He just couldn't bring himself to part from the human, couldn't bring himself to shove him away and snap at him to leave him alone.

Zim didn't know what it was that caused him to stay there; but he decided not to try and name it. He nestled into Dib's warmth; his antennae pulling back as he felt the human nuzzle groggily against his head again.

Strange.

So very strange.

Zim could still feel the tingle on his lips from the foreign kiss; could still taste Dib's saliva on his tongue and could still feel the warmth of his seed within his body.

Zim felt like such an out-cast in those moments; so broken and useless.

Irkens didn't feel petty useless emotions like he was in this moment.

It was all Dib's fault.

All his fault.

--

A/N:

OMG. This took forever. Sex scenes are so hard for me to write. GAH. Ah well. I finished it and I'm proud of how it came out. Please leave me a review if you want to see what happens next.


	7. Chapter 7

"Heat"

'Chapter Seven'

Zim had finally pried himself out of Dib's grasp sometime between then and now and was currently sitting stiffly in his chair. The computer monitors remained off and the lighting above shone only a soft glow on the area below it.

Zim frowned at his reflection, his claws digging into the arm rests of his chair. His brow furrowed as complex thoughts continued to assault him yet he had no answers to the barrage of questions he posed at himself.

He didn't understand the lingering warmth, didn't understand why he still felt restless and oh-so-needy.

Shouldn't it have passed already?

He had thought it did, back after the coupling his mind had cleared somewhat, that haze of lust had finally diminished. However, as the hours drew on he started to feel that bite of heat all over again and he growled in frustration.

What was wrong?

Zim had went over all the events in his brain, went over all the facts on Irken mating that were pre-downloaded into his Pak and yet he couldn't find anything to explain why he was feeling like this. He was already impregnated, so why did he want to mate again?

Zim spat out Irken curses, glaring hotly at the monitors – irritated with his own reflection.

Why was this happening?

Yet under all that anger, all that hate, was buried even stronger emotions; ones he had just recently started to feel and he was sickened with himself. He would not submit again.

Zim nibbled the inside of his lip roughly, growling lowly in the back of his throat as his heated red eyes continued to bore holes in the blank screens ahead of him.

It was all Dib's fault.

Surely it had to be the lowly human's fault, because it obviously couldn't be the fault of the far superior invader. Dib had something to do with all this confusion, had something to do with all this unbridled want.

It had to be the way he smelled, how his skin felt, how he tasted. It had to be. Just some strange exotic pheromones Zim had been unaware of before in his state of frenzy. There was no emotional attachment here; just an animalistic lust, nothing more, nothing less.

Zim's antennae flattened in an irritated manner, finding little comfort in his own thoughts.

This was stupid.

All of it was stupid.

It was then he caught the sound of movement, the sound of shuffling feet on the metal floor of the lab. Zim didn't turn to the noise, instead his body seemed to tense more and his scowl grew darker.

Stupid human.

Zim hated him.

He hated him and his icky human-ness.

"Zim?" Dib called out, groggily moving out of the shadows and stepping into the lighted part of the lab. He looked a little worse for wear, his glasses skewed the one lens still broken and his clothing was a wrinkled mess. "Hey," Dib said, "Uh…" He attempted to throw out some form of conversation, knowing he needed to address the previous events but he fell short. Instead Dib let the silence remain as he paced his way over to the computers and the brooding Irken.

Zim's sharp claret eyes finally flicked over to the human, "Stay where you are, Dib-thing," Zim snapped, "I don't want you coming any closer."

Dib paused, his amber eyes meeting Zim's glare, "Why?" He asked despite himself, feeling even more awkward standing in the center of the room.

"I don't want a repeat of what happened," Zim spat, "Since you can't seem to control yourself."

"Me?" Dib gaped, "It was you that started it! I was trying to get away and—"

"LIES!" The alien yelled, getting out of his chair in a single fluid movement, a gloved talon pointing dramatically at Dib, "This is all your fault!"

Dib frowned, wanting to counter but Zim was sort of speaking the truth. If he didn't break into his lab, none of this would have happened – but then again, Zim was the one that lost control before he did, so it was sort of Zim's fault too. "There's no point blaming me." Dib finally murmured, "It's not like we can go back and change anything."

Zim scowled, crossing his arms hotly over his chest, "Because of you."

"Whatever." Dib finally said in exasperation.

The Irken glared at the human a long hard moment before he finally turned and stalked back to his chair, slouching himself into the plush seat, his sharp eyes turning back towards the blank monitors. "This changes nothing." Zim finally grumbled.

Dib continued to look at Zim, taking in the Irken's words and trying not to be hurt by them.

What had he really expected?

It was just sex after all, nothing aside from that, so Dib wasn't really sure how he thought their 'morning after' should have went. He let out a sigh, "Yeah." Finally he turned his eyes elsewhere.

Zim shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his antennae twitching. His skin felt confining, his body overly hot, he knew what these symptoms meant by now; and it was being produced because Zim could smell Dib's heady fragrance, even with the boy so far away. He dug his claws into the armrest of the chair, "Go away."

Dib decided to ignore Zim's snap, though his eyes still remained on a dead point in the corner of the lab, unsure if he should voice his own thoughts or perhaps leave the whole situation where it was.

Then again, they still had a few days stuck together and he wasn't sure what the protocol from here on out was.

Zim did say this all changed nothing; but that wasn't true, or, Dib didn't think it was true because Zim was pregnant—

Or, maybe he wasn't.

Dib cautiously turned his gaze back on the Irken, nibbling his lip in nervous fashion as he studied the side of the alien's skull. He sucked in a shaky breath and finally voiced his worry, "So…are you…you know?" He asked, his words stumbling awkwardly into the space around them.

Zim turned hotly in the direction of the human, his antennae drawn back, "Did you not hear what I just said?" He snapped, ignoring Dib's inquiry, "Go away! I'm sick of looking at your ugly pig-monkey face!" He hissed, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture.

Dib continued to stand his ground though his heart started to beat hard against his ribs due to the realization that they could have created something from their unwanted coupling. "Are you?" He pressed, taking a step towards the alien.

Zim glowered, his claws digging into the upholstery of his chair, "That is no concern of yours, now do as I say!" Zim didn't want to get out of his seat, didn't want to compromise himself by moving closer to the human who affected him so horrendously with his icky pheromones; but as Dib continued to step closer he feared he wouldn't have much of a choice but to react.

Dib stopped a foot or so from Zim's chair, his honey-brown eyes trained on the irritated alien, "It is my concern," Dib murmured, "I was involved, I'd like to know."

Zim changed his position so he was using the arm rest as leverage; looking almost as if he were about to spring off his chair and tackle the annoying human. "If I am, it has nothing to do with you," Zim hissed, "I told you before Dib, I just want to mate with someone to get impregnated, I don't want to be involved with you," He waved his hand at the human, relaxing just a little back into his seat though he felt a new pain of something burrowing into his chest though he couldn't fathom what that might be, "As I said before, whether I am with smeet or I'm not, it changes nothing between us."

"It changes everything!" Dib said in exasperation, "I can't just go back to normal after this, don't you understand?" His tone rose in pitch, "We had sex Zim! We might've made a…a smeet-thing," Dib nibbled his lip nervously, "Its half mine, its half made of me, I can't just forget and move on like nothing happened, don't you understand that?"

Zim averted his gaze back towards the computer, his antennae twitching to Dib's words, unsure why his heart was beating so fast.

What was going on with him?

Zim disliked the torrent of feelings running through his system; hated that Dib had to even care so much, unsure why the fact that the stupid human caring made his heart flutter.

This was all insane.

This whole event shouldn't have happened; it was turning into a giant mess.

The Irken frowned, shifting his posture so his whole body was turned in the opposite direction of Dib, "I don't care about your stupid human feelings, or how you plan to 'cope," He murmured, though his tone wasn't as harsh as before, "After this week is over you will be thrown out of my house and I don't want to talk about this event ever again."

Dib felt strongly on the situation for reasons he didn't entirely want to admit out loud. It wasn't just about the possible child they could have made, it was about Zim too, and about what happened.

He knew something was going on between them, but he was unsure how to name it. He had been aware of Zim in his arms the night before, aware of how the Irken's eyes almost held fear under the white-hot anger.

Dib was scared of this whatever it was too – but running away from it wasn't going to help; pretending it never happened was going to be even worse. Dib couldn't rely on Zim to think straight, or be level-headed at all, so he decided to take control; though he knew attempting to be dominant to Zim usually left him broken and bloody.

With his resolve in place Dib righted his spine, "We're going to talk about it." He said in an even tone.

"There's nothing to talk about," Zim snapped, finally turning himself back around to glare hotly at the human, "Have you not listened to anything I have said?" His tone gained in pitch and he rose from his chair, his posture exerting hostility, "Go to the other side of the lab and stay quiet! Zim wants to hear no more nonsense from you!"

Dib's fists clenched at his sides as he tried to hang onto his resolve, "Just tell me." He pressed, "I just want to know, I want to know what you plan on doing—"

Dib didn't get a chance to finish his rant; the Irken launched himself across the room in a flash of an instant, his claws connecting with Dib's face as he slashed the human down. Dib let out a strangled sound as he stumbled sideways, his glasses falling with a sickening 'crash' – obvious the remaining lens had broken.

Zim stood in the wake of what he had just done, breathing heavily from rage as well as the heat that began to pool back into his body. "I said leave me alone!" Zim screamed, his tone breaking as he glared at the human, his eyes mere slits.

Dib choked on a sound, pulling his hands away from his face, blinking back the tears that had sprung due to the pain that blossomed across his cheek and nose. Blood had started to well in the cuts as he narrowed his eyes, wanting to react but somehow stopping himself. "You want to sit there in denial, then fine." Dib snapped, "Go the fuck ahead Zim! Don't come to me if you need anything. Anything! You hear me?"

Zim righted his posture, baring his teeth in an aggressive gesture, "Need something from you?" He scoffed, "Like I'll ever need anything from a stupid human like you."

"You needed me last night." Dib said in a serious tone, eyeing the blurry shape of the alien.

Zim's words died in his throat, his antennae twitched in irritation before he let out a guttural growl, lashing out and grabbing the front of Dib's shirt – yanking the taller boy to his level, their faces inches apart as he snarled, "You better not let me find you." He hissed, his antennae pulled flush against his skull; not bothering another moment with words before he threw Dib clear across the room as if it were no feat at all.

He didn't have time to react as the Irken threw him, landing in a heap near the autopsy table; his body crashing down upon a box of medical supplies.

The Irken eyed him in the dark, easily able to make out the human shape as Dib forced himself up off the floor, using the table for support. Zim could smell blood, even from this far away – knowing he must have damaged the fragile dirt-child when he threw him. A languid smirk fell across his lips at the notion, inhaling the intoxicating flavor of blood, "If I find you Dib-stink," Zim licked his lips, his claret eyes dark, "I'm going to kill you."

Dib didn't bother to glance back to Zim; crestfallen by his own inability to fight back, having fought with himself over the idea of it. He just couldn't bring himself to attack Zim, not if the Irken was with child, it just didn't seem right – even if Zim definitely deserved it.

At the sound of Zim's cold words a shudder of pure fear raced down Dib's spine.

They still had a few days locked up together, how was he going to hide for that long? That aside, this was Zim's lab, he knew it in and out, there was no possible way.

He continued to stumble into the dark, nearly blind without his glasses; his hands roaming on every surface he came in contact with an attempt to guide himself. No, he couldn't think so pessimistically. He could hide, or at least, he could damn well try his best and hope that Zim's foul mood passed. He was sure he could at least last a day hiding from the alien, and hopefully that would be enough.

With a plan in place Dib continued into the inky abyss; vaguely aware of the narrowed eyes watching him from across the room.

A/N:

This chapter gave me a lot of issues. However, I am happy to note that I already started chapter eight and hopefully the next update won't take as long as this one did. Thanks so much for your continued support and I hope you are still interested in this fiction!


	8. Chapter 8

"Heat"

'Chapter Eight'

It had been about ten hours.

Ten hours and Zim hadn't moved from his seat in front of the computer console.

Anger had come and gone; at first he wanted to rant and rave, yell at the ceiling, run after Dib and rip him to pieces. But after the first few hours passed, anger turned to boredom and boredom turned to restlessness and restlessness turned to an almost loneliness.

Loneliness?

"Zim needs no one!" Zim scoffed, his voice vibrating off the walls. He reclined back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest as his large red eyes roamed the darkness of the wires tangled throughout the ceiling.

Where was the Dib-beast anyway?

Hopefully hidden well.

Though, his previous want to dismember the dirt-child had ebbed to a nagging something. A feeling he was familiar yet unfamiliar with, an almost pulling on his skin, a type of hunger that was beginning to consume his thoughts.

Zim gasped and sat ram-rod straight in his chair, his eyes staring blankly across the room.

No, no, no…

Why? Why would he be experiencing the…the hideous _heat_ again?

At first he thought it was proximity to Dib. That being tangled in him made him want, seeing him, smelling him, it was some predisposed thing, an after-affect of mating, something that was residual and would depart once contact had ended.

However, like the hours previous, when seeing Dib, even when yelling at him, there was that underlying something and it was as confusing as it was horribly scary.

This need, this want…

It was something Zim had never felt before. Isolated on planets is what Irkens did, and being attached to something, anything, was a foreign concept.

Yet, here it was, nagging him again.

Zim wrung his hands, his antennae bobbing up and down in a frantic pace. He was impregnated, he knew that, his Pak system relayed to him his vitals at any given moment, and he knew.

So, why?

It was rare, almost defective for an Irken to actually take a mate past the initial ritualistic event. Zim would have been costumed to birthing and relinquishing the smeet to the Empire, not raising it himself, and definitely not raising it with another like some type of _human_ family.

It all sounded so foreign, yet felt…

Felt so, so…

Zim shook his head to rid himself of thought as he tried to stabilize his breathing. What was wrong with him? A heat cycle wasn't supposed to be such a big deal, it wasn't supposed to cause this much conflict.

Even initial mating; there was nothing in his Pak files to prepare him for this discrepancy. Nothing to reassure him this was somehow normal and that this would all pass. No, everything pointed to an anomaly, everything pointed to him being defective and all this being so very, very wrong.

Zim shifted in his chair, his hands gripped the arm rests in a crushing embrace. He wanted Dib desperately then, an aching pull in his squeedilyspooch, as if the half-witted Earth-monkey would somehow have the answers, or at least have something reassuring to say.

The Irken nibbled his lower lip, his red eyes darting towards the darkness that engulfed the lab around him.

_If I find you, Dib-stink, I'm going to kill you._

Zim cringed as his own threat repeated in his head. His pride wouldn't let him sway such a threat to easily just to find Dib.

However…

If he did find him, he could always, eh, make up something about showing mercy or whatever, couldn't he? Of course he could. He was ZIM; and Zim could do whatever he wanted.

Emboldened, Zim got up from his chair, intent on finding the human that caused all this turmoil. After all, since it was all Dib's fault, he'd make Dib figure it all out, make Dib tell him all those sweet Earth sayings and soothe his over-worked mind.

Zim absently itched at his stomach, gloved claws somehow unpleasant on his skin. The fact that he needed Dib sat ill, the fact further that he needed Dib's emotional non-sense words sat even worse with him.

Obviously this was just the heat cycle talking.

Once he was over this, he wouldn't need Dib anymore. Maybe this was all not going how it should because he had been stranded on a planet for so long without any other Irkens around. Maybe his body was trying to adapt more… humanly, trying to be more emotional and gross because Zim's body was trying to somehow bond properly with a human-beast.

Yes, that made the most sense.

"Dib!" Zim yelled out into the darkness, but he was met with silence. His antennae twitched for any coming sounds but he found none.

Hm.

Perhaps the worm found a decent hiding spot after all. Well, it had been over ten hours, and Dib was usually exceptionally good at hiding.

Zim continued around his lab, searching every nook and cranny he could find; every dark corner, every box, under any discarded wiring or upturned table.

After about an hour of searching he had found nothing.

Even putting forth effort to climb up the walls and check the vents. The Earth-beast was just nowhere, and the thought baffled Zim.

There was no way out. It was statistically impossible that Dib escaped.

So, where was he?

Zim leaned up against a medical table, once again itching at his stomach; some unpleasant sensation kept poking at his spooch. It was strange, somehow warm and annoying. A run in his Pak files told him it was the smeet developing, that once fertilization happened, the DNA would mutate and begin to form rather rapidly. Incubation in Irkens wasn't usually long, though this was a hybrid, so not all information would be available if things started going wrong.

Zim's antennae drooped, a desperate feeling fell on his shoulders and he almost whined in frustration. He hated being this desperately emotional. Such weak icky emotions he was un-used to, no hate or anger, just a wilting depression and longing that was so very unfamiliar.

"Dib," Zim called into the darkness, his tone lilting, "Dib-worm!" He yipped but still no response came.

He knew he'd probably have to coax the child out of hiding, might have to apologize. Zim frowned, unused to the concept—after all, Zim was never wrong, the need to apologize was ridiculous. After all, this was all Dib's fault in the first place, breaking into his lab, getting himself stuck, and getting Zim pregnant.

All completely Dib's fault.

"Dib! Come out of hiding right now and Zim will…eh…" Zim waved his hand haughtily, "Zim will forgive you." He finished in a horribly fake sweet tone, plastering on a smile that looked almost insane.

However, a moment or two of holding that smile and Zim's patience began to ebb. Maybe the worm-baby didn't hear, maybe he was in another part of the lab. Since, obviously, he couldn't be ignoring Zim; after all, he said he'd forgive the child of all his faults.

Another few minutes and Zim's frustration began to mount as well as the curious loneliness he kept feeling intermittently. His lips fell into a weak frown and he sank down onto the metal floor.

He wanted to feel Dib around him again, he wanted to choke on that weird smell on his, wanted to feel his skin against his.

A quiver of need ran down his spine, an unconscious whine buried in his throat as he fell on his side on the cold floor. He stretched out his body, his eyes dark with want as he looked off into the dark, trying to pinpoint any movement.

"Dib~" Zim almost cooed, his claws raking the ground, muted by the gloves, "Zim…needs you." He murmured his tone barely audibly, the admittance coming uneasily. The Irken huffed, moving over onto his back, his hands running along his sides, sweeping over his flat, taut stomach.

Silence.

Just the sound of his own rustling clothes, breathing, the quiet whirl of his Pak.

"ARGH!" Zim yelled out, kicking out at the table and topping the metal to the floor, having it almost land on himself. He rolled back over and got himself to his feet, having hoped the cold floor would have cooled his skin, but all it did was further his want for real contact.

How dare Dib ignore him?

How dare he hide from him when he knew he needed him?

How dare he?

Zim's fists clenched as anger easily wound through his system to cut off the pain he was beginning to feel—the rejection, desperation, and sheer heartache this pregnancy had forced him to feel.

Zim admitted his need of the human, had called out for him, and he was just ignored?

"Zim will not be ignored Dib." He hissed to the quiet around him, insanity beginning to rule, emotion flooding over rationality, "You do not get to ignore _Zim_."

Somewhere, in the distant far corner of the lab, in an isolated dusty vent guarded by a toppled inactive regenerative tube—was Dib; and his only real reactive thought was, 'Oh shit'.

/

A/N:

OMG. This looks like an UPDATE.

Fff.

Started reading up on this story again. Next chapter will be more interactive and go to Dib's perspective. Anyhow, already started the next chapter so hopefully I get it out quicker than like.. what, almost two years? Lol.

Thanks for reading. Also, gonna be posting some more one-shots and stuff, so keep an eye on my page!


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